The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 101-95, at Staples Center on Sunday evening.

As the Lakers (23-21) continued to forge ahead without LeBron James (groin) in the lineup, they found an unlikely obstacle in his former team. Cleveland (9-35) owns the league's worst record and had dropped 12 straight heading into Sunday's matchup. Sunday's tilt with the Lakers ended the Cavaliers' skid, though, as all five starters scored in double figures en route to the win. The Cavaliers held a multiple-possession lead for much of the second half and managed to stave off a late-game comeback effort from LA. For the Lakers, the loss dropped the team to just 3-6 without James.


Forward Cedi Osman showed flashes of the talent he showcased early in the season, scoring a team-high 20 points to lead the Cavaliers. Big man Tristan Thompson, recently returned from injury, finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Nearly matching Thompson's effort on the boards was Alec Burks, who tallied 13 rebounds to go with 18 points in Sunday's bounce-back win.


LA, meanwhile, saw 29 points from sophomore forward Kyle Kuzma. The Utah product continued to excel in LeBron's absence, improving upon his season average of 18.6 points per game. As a team, though, the Lakers were not as impressive. LA shot just 39.6 percent and hit only seven threes in a loss that put the team in a tie with Utah for eighth in the Western Conference.


LA will host another of the Eastern Conference's struggling teams when the Chicago Bulls come to town on Tuesday. Cleveland, meanwhile, will continue its West Coast trip with a visit to Portland on Wednesday.